The Phillies will receive a formal warning from Major League Baseball for making a pitching change in the third inning Saturday night in Atlanta without having left-hander Hoby Milner warmed up and ready to enter the game, sources confirmed to The Review on Monday.

During the third inning of the 15-2 loss to Atlanta, manager Gabe Kapler walked from the dugout and called for Milner to come into the game to replace starter Vince Velasquez. Milner, however, wasn't warming up in the bullpen and wasn't ready to pitch.

With his jacket still on, Milner rushed to get a few throws in the bullpen before third base umpire Greg Gibson walked toward and ordered the left-hander to enter the game. When Milner finally got to the mound, the umpires allowed him to throw five pitches before the game resumed play.

The delay lasted nearly 90 seconds.

Crew chief Jerry Layne said he allowed Milner to throw the warm-up pitches to protect the pitcher's health, but he voiced his displeasure of how the Phillies and Kapler handled the situation.

MLB is still reviewing the incident, but sources say Layne handled the situation rightly given the circumstances.

“Whoever is at fault for not doing their job on the Phillies side should have to answer to Major League Baseball,” Layne said after Saturday's contest.

Milner said nobody had told him to warm up before Kapler called him into the game. Kapler said it was a communication breakdown and took full responsibility for the issue.

“I’m taking accountability for it,” Kapler said. “It’s an indication that I need to do a better job and I will. One of the things that I pride myself on is being an excellent communicator and doing so relentlessly. I will continue to strive for excellence in that regard. Miscommunications are simply unacceptable no matter where they occur.”
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